Hi, my name is Steve and I’m asking for your support for my friend, Scott, during his cancer journey. Scott’s battle with head and neck cancer started four years ago when he first had his thyroid removed. Cancer is about more than treatment because the residual effects to the body are there long after the cancer is gone. Scott's body was ravaged by the massive amount of radiation treatments. As a result, Scott will need extensive dental work and future throat surgery to improve his ability to swallow. Radiation side effects left him with no working saliva glands or taste buds. These conditions are in addition to what the cancer itself did to Scott. For example, the cancer attacked his functioning kidney and soon may require surgery for this issue. An unusual side effect from chemotherapy is his hands often ache so bad that he is unable to hold things or sleep. Prescription drugs that he needs to survive have become a financial hardship. As a result, Scott is unable to work due to the effects of his cancer and treatments. His only support is a disability stipend.

Who is Scott and why I'm asking you for financial help? Scott has fought the hard battles of cancer by himself without losing his sense of humor or his faith. He is single, has no children, and lives a quiet life in rural southern Mississippi. Scott’s a brother, uncle, and friend. He is an animal lover, gardener, and outdoors man. He loves anything mechanical, the older the better. He is an avid reader. Scott’s desire to help others was on full display at MD Anderson in Houston, Texas. Many times while having a bad day himself, he would see somebody else having a worse day and he would minister to them through humor. The wife of one such man, who eventually lost his battle with cancer, reminisced that Scott was the only person who could make her husband smile during his times of treatment. Now Scott looks to make lemonade out of the lemons dealt to him by participating in multiple clinical trials, hoping it will help many others one day. Scott has always been the person who was helping everybody else; you know, the big guy who shows up when you’re moving and nobody else does. Scott was a great help and friend to my quadriplegic brother, John, for many years until his passing in 2020. Scott just seems to always be there when you need a friend.

Now that I have given you an idea of who Scott is, I want to share that although he has survived a four year ordeal with cancer (having initially been given a very slim chance of survival), he's barely surviving under the crushing financial debt that has resulted.

Thank you and bless you for taking the time to read about my friend Scott. I hope you will join us in supporting Scott. Your prayers and generosity will be beneficial in his recovery and healing.

All funds will go to outstanding and future:

• medical bills

• Dental bills

• Travel and housing to and from MD Anderson

• Prescription medications